How to Operate a Pallet Jack

February 07, 2017

Whether you work in a warehouse or simply need to move around some product in your back store, manual pallet jack operators can seem dangerous for most people. At HWP Herwood pallet inc. we take safety very seriously so here are our top tips to operate a pallet jack without back pain.

How Do We Use It

Pallet jacks help workers effectively transport wooden pallets from one place to another. To operate these mysterious machines, you’ll need to find the release lever. Then, push inward to lower the prongs, these should stay about an inch or two from the floor. Afterwards, insert the prongs underneath the wooden pallets, if they don’t fit, lower the machine more. Centre the forks as much as you can to stabilize the weight. Grab onto the handle to jack up the pallet jack. They should slowly rise to the pressure or the movement. Before moving your pallets, make sure the wheels are touching the ground.

Pulling is known to give more manoeuvrability but also puts more pressure on the back. Pushing, on the other hand, keeps the back long and tall and uses the leg strength instead of the back.

Safety First

Two factors are crucial to prevent from injuries in your work environment: issuing safety rules for the employees and training. It is also suggested wearing protection gloves and proper foot wear.

In order to know if the load you are carrying is safe, validate the distance or trajectory you’ll be pulling or pushing the machine for. The biggest question of all is do you think your body can take this kind of impact. If you already have back pains or a sore arm, maybe carry smaller loads or wait until tomorrow if possible. At any time, it is possible to drop the pallets to the ground by giving the handle a quick squeeze.

If you have a large warehouse to cover, you might want to consider purchasing an electronic pallet jack to cover larger grounds and faster. They don’t require as much physical strength.

Don’t forget to store your pallets in a dry area of your warehouse in order to keep a quality product. When storing the pallet jack, it’s important to keep the handle facing upwards in order to prevent people from tripping.